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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Permanent Man Blog #8 - The Tease & Title

In television, The Tease is that little three to eight minute clip that starts a television show. It typically gives a glimpse of the problem to come for the story. Or it shows a situation in the story that is a focal point. After the commercial break, the story continues or you see what events led up to The Tease.

The Permanent Man will be using The Tease in every story. Unlike most eBooks where a title or chapter start the story, the story will start with The Tease but without any type of subheading. You won't see The Teaseon the top of the page.

I made this decision before I wrote even one episode because I felt that, with nothing to preface what the reader is about to read, it gets them directly into the story without limitation. I also see this as a great way for people to sample the eBook before buying it. The Tease will essentially be an extension of the blurb or synopsis found on the product page.

Once a TV show finishes The Tease, the introduction or title is shown. This confirms to the viewer what they are watching.

Likewise, in The Permanent Man stories, the title page will come directly after The Tease and consist of two pages. Page one of the title will say the series name. Page two will list the episode number, episode title, and byline.

So, page one of the title goes like this in every episode:

THE PERMANENT MAN

Page two will show this:

EPISODE 2

HOW THE WEST WAS DONE

DESMOND SHEPHERD

This is how every episode of The Permanent Man will start. It is somewhat unconventional, especially without The Tease being given acknowledgement and the title coming after the story has started. But I'm doing this to keep the series in line with the formatting commonly seen in television.

Since each episode will take a half hour to an hour to read, this beginning structure should help eliminate the whole "chapter of a novel" feel that I saw complaints about in John Scalzi's The Human Division episodes.

Stay tuned for next week's blog post update for The Permanent Man. I plan to reveal the cover for the pilot episode.

Available Now!

Told from the perspective of an imaginary friend, Imaginary Me is full of tears, joy, and triumph. Follow the story of four-year-old Samantha Pruitt and her quest to escape an abusive home life.
Available at:Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble

The complete first season of The Permanent Man. Relive every moment from each episode. Includes bonus commentary from the author that details the writing process, story decisions, and even spoilers. Available at:Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble

Inspired by classics like Doctor Who & Futurama, take a wild ride with this humorous sci-fi mystery!
Available at:Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble